User reviews

Ringo Lam's characters in Full Contact come in three flavors: bad guys with values, bad guys without values and victims. The first category is led by antihero Godfrey (Jeff or Gou Fei in other translations), one of Chow Yun-fat's most adversarial characters (not counting his Emperor role in Curse of the Golden Flower), who is a thief with a conscience who can deftly ride a motorcycle and wield his balisong knife. He is set to marry Mona whose creative dancing career apparently does not make enough money. Look for a later dance scene resembling something out of Encino Man. Their friend Sam (Anthony Wong: Exiled) had to borrow money from a loan shark in Thailand named Hung to help pay for her Mother's burial (the translation states this but I think it meant internment costs). Since he cannot pay back he is in deep trouble until Godfrey helps him out. This causes Hung to put out a hit on him.

Sam has a job coming up that could make him and his friends a lot of money. It is with his cousin the overly-flamboyant homicidal homosexual Judge (Simon Yam: PTU) and his two lackeys the muscular Psycho (Frankie Chan) who has a penchant for big guns and loose women and his girlfriend the nymph Virgin (Bonnie Fu). This job involves busting an ammo truck worth millions of dollars. However, unbeknown-st to Sam at the time they will get paid by Hung to take care of Godfrey and they will ultimately kill other pal Chung. In the meantime Mona has to take her Mom's ashes to Hong Kong. While Godfrey promises to marry her when she gets back, we all know that any promise before a big job will not be a promise kept. Those who see this will wonder why Godfrey takes this job when their initial meeting does not go well.

The operation goes almost exactly as planned for Judge. However, it is not as easy as he would have liked. While he finds Godfrey attractive he still has to kill him. This leads to an explosive showdown that leaves Godfrey with a missing thumb and trigger finger on his right hand, an innocent family dead and its daughter severely burnt. Sam capitulates in allowing this because he is a sniveling coward (his 180 degree personality change in the film is too unrealistic even though Anthony Wong still did a good performance with this character) and even shoots his friend and leaves him for dead. Why Judge doesn't check on the "death" of Godfrey, I do not know, but it allows him to live, take a cute dog, time to heal and time to learn to shoot with his other hand so he can exact revenge. His monomania allows time for Sam to sneak in on his girlfriend while everyone else thinks he is pushing up daises.

Lam's directorial style is grittier than John Woo's operatic mode of direction, but the spirit of Woo is in this film. He refers to Woo in a few scenes from the briefcase ending analogous to The Killer to Chow Yun-fat spitting out his cigar before killing like Tequila spitting out his toothpick in Hard-Boiled. While the action is not as hyperbolic as Woo's his characters are more exaggerated. Godfrey becomes a vessel for brotherhood (yi) in his quest for vengeance with his own code of conduct. He is not only taking revenge for a lost friend, he is taking revenge for a family wrongly slaughtered and a disfigured daughter. This film feels like a mixture of John Woo and Chang Cheh – it fits well in the sub-genre of heroic bloodshed. With a plot that could have been taken out of an old-school martial arts film what better place for Godfrey to get over his injuries then in a monastery with the help of a monk.

The one-dimensional characters are one of the biggest weaknesses with this film. When Judge states one sentence late in the film on why he acts the way he does it comes a little late – though Simon Yam's performance is a high point in this film. Virgin and Psycho are completely over-the-top as well but they do not have the finesse that Judge has. But in their excess with Psycho's muscle-bound dumbbell and Virgin's oversexed vixen there is a camp factor that I found enhanced the emotions and nihilistic content of this film. The triangle relationship between Sam, Mona and Godfrey annoyed me a bit but it did keep in line with the protagonist's revenge motif.

Where this movie excels is the gun-play scenes, fight action scenes choreographed by longtime Shaw Brother's actor/action director Lau Kar-wing and the excellent direction of Ringo Lam. He has a solid aesthetics in putting together scenes and creates a brute force style of action. The scene most mentioned from this film is club shootout between Godfrey and Judge. It sublimely employs the use of the bullet POV. There are also a couple of pyrotechnic scenes that are also quite extraordinary in explosive carnage and were a good reason for the overinflated budget.

This movie was not viewed as a success in Hong Kong. It was not a flop though since it made almost 17m HK dollars; however, since it cost over 23 million HK dollars it was a loss for Golden Princess. It has a better reputation here in the United States and along with City on Fire is it his most popular. I highly recommend it to viewers who are interested in action cinema. If you take a character first approach to film then you can probably avoid it. But for those who have gone this far in the review I figure you either have seen this movie or are interested in seeing this anyways. With great lines like "wash your butt and wait for me" I know you will like it.

To help a friend who's heavily in debt to a loan shark, Jeff (Chow Yun Fat) joins up with the gay villain, Judge (Simon Yam), for a weapons heist where he'll be double-crossed by who he thought was a friend who joined the gang with him. This wouldn't be an action film if he were to simply let bygones be bygones of course, so he plans a mighty vengeance against all who betrayed him. This is pretty standard revenge movie stuff, it's saved, however, by the great action scenes as well as well as Yun Fat's performance (excellent as always, well at least before he made the jump to Hollywood who always seem to make amazingly great foreign movie star into lesser than what the can be)

My Grade: B Mei Ah

DVD Extras: Theatrical Trailer; and Trailers for "Swordsman 2" & "Treasure Hunt"

Another entry into the "cheer for the most likeable bad guy" series of Hong Kong action flicks. "Full Contact" tells the oft-told tale of betrayal and revenge, served up as a potent cocktail of Western convention mixed with the trademarked Hong Kong style. When Jeff's (Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun Fat in true hard-case form) friend Sam (Anthony Wong) steps on the feet of a local loan shark, Jeff comes to his rescue, creating a powerful enemy in the vengeful gangster. Seeking to skip town and make good, the two hatch a plan to hijack an arms shipment with the help of Sam's flamboyant and malicious cousin Judge (a delightfully sleazy Simon Yam) and his gang of dysfunctional thugs. What Jeff doesn't know is that he's being double-crossed by the wild group of brutal killers, who plan to bury him as they make their getaway. Judge forces Sam to off his loyal friend Jeff, but Sam botches the job, leaving Jeff to return for bitter revenge after dealing with an emotionally painful betrayal and a physically challenging rehabilitation. Lam foregoes the melodrama of Hong Kong counterpart John Woo and goes straight for the jugular with unremittingly stark and graphic violence. At the same time, the characters retain a certain amount of sympathy. Frequently outrageous and over the top, "Full Contact" is nonetheless a well made film suffering from a fairly weak script. Though comparisons to Woo are inevitable, especially because of Chow Yun-Fat in the lead role, Lam is a different kind of director and, accordingly, "Full Contact" is a different sort of beast. Although it opens with a robbery that rapidly turns into a shoot-'em-up, there's none of the balletic, elegant violence that characterizes Woo and his imitators. When the camera lingers over the carnage, it's not a lovingly choreographed sweep. Unlike in Chow's films for Woo, for which he is best known in the West, there's little that's noble about Chow's character in this one. He's heroic only by comparison to the psychotic gangsters he takes down one by one. Fortunately, Chow is up to the challenge of portraying a character of questionable morals in an honorable light, and Anthony Wong and Ann Bridgewater, respectively playing his best friend and wife, are equally top-notch. Lam's direction is excellent as well. His fine control of the action and pacing keeps the film from peaking too soon, and even a bullet's-eye view during a climactic shoot-out in a nightclub works in the movie's favor. The level of violence makes most of what Hollywood produces tame by comparison.

Action films are a dime a dozen. Many really suck. A few stand out. Of all the action fims I've ever seen in my life, this one held me as much as any not directed by John Woo. The gun battle toward the end of the film is exhilarating. Any action fan that thinks "Matrix-style" slow motion bullets are the end-all, be-all of effects should check "bulletride" effect at the end of this film. And to its amazing credit, this film was made without the help of Hollywood digital effects. I haven't even mentioned CHOW YUN-FAT. He is AWESOME in this film. The man is as bad-ass as Mel Gibson any day. "Full Contact" is based on the same book as "PayBack." Let me tell you this film runs ring around payback in areas of acting, directing, violence and coolness. There is no substitute for Chow Yun-Fat. If you're dying for a style filled actioner and have exhausted your John Woo collection, then check out "Full Contact."

In order to help his friend Sam (Anthony Wong Chau-Sang) in a debt with a powerful mobster, Jeff (as Chow Yun Fat) accepts to work for another mobster, Judge (Simon Yam), in a robbery. However, he is betrayed by Judge and attacked by his men, and the coward Sam stays with Judge. Jeff survives the attack, and plots revenge against Judge and his men.

"Xia dao Gao Fei" is a conventional story of betrayal/revenge as many others we haven seen on the screen. The differential of this movie are the great action scenes. The choreography of the fights is amazing, and Ringo Lam uses the same style of camera of John Woo regarding the sequences of the bullets in a gun shot. This story is forgettable, but also a worthwhile entertainment, highly recommended for fans of action movies. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "À Flor da Pele" ("Near the Skin")

Full Contact is a gritty action classic with acclaimed director Ringo Lam and an all star cast that has Chow Yun Fat, Anthony Wong and Simon Yam. Having any one of these actors in a film automatically makes the movie better , in Full Contact we get all three. Chow Yun Fat is in full antihero mode and is the most sympathetic character in this revenge flick. Anthony Wong is his buddy who gets CYF to rescue him from a loan shark which escalates to more trouble with Wong betraying him also. Simon Yam is Wong 's cousin and a ruthless and sleazy gangster . He also is gay and is attracted to CYF. CYF is betrayed and left for dead and an innocent family is killed and a young girl is badly burned and disfigured as well. Anthony Wong steals CYF 's woman and continues to work with his cousin 's gang. CYF then resurfaces to get even and bring street justice . Full Contact is a unique take on the heroic bloodshed genre brought to life with HK's A list cast and director . Classic.

A truly incredible film. Chow Yun-Fat has to be one of the greatest action stars ever. And Ringo Lam's camera work was top notch. The action sequences were second to none. I highly recommend this film to anyone who is a fan of action.

This is simply a great flick. It's one of the Hong Kong action films that is more popular here than in Southeast Asia, quite possibly because it undercuts all expectations, especially with the screen image of Chow Yun Fat. Chow doesn't play his usual suave or debonair type of character. In this film, he plays Jeff, a bouncer at a nightclub recruited into a heist by a friend. During the heist there is a doublecross, and Jeff is left for dead. To a soundtrack of late 80s heavy metal, he recuperates and seeks vengeance. It sounds simple enough, but the style and acting carry it far above its story. Chow Yun Fat is relentlessly cool in this film, playing a guy who will not be stopped at any cost. Anthony Wong is great, as usual, playing Chow's cowardly friend. But the movie really belongs to Simon Yam, who plays Judge, a doublecrossing, psychopathic, homosexual mob boss. He's also quite handy with a knife, as several scenes show. This is one of the most entertaining films I have ever seen - a pure rush of energy, and an action film executed by a genius of the genre.

Saw this one last night

when living in sweden it is hard to lay the hands on asian movies.. also there is very little facts to get on films. Though this place helps out and I deicided to give it a try.

Must say this was a good HongKong Action movie. Chow Yun Fat is as always playing his part really well.. and most of the other actors did their jobs well. The films has some really cool camera effects in it, fitting the actions scenes nicley.

A good film to lay your hands on if you like good HK action films.

While there is little of the type of John Woo gunplay in this one, the action scenes are still awesome. It's also really cool seeing Chow Yun-Fat fight 3 guys with machettes with a 3-inch butterfly knife :) The basic plot is the same as Point Blank, or Payback. It is, after all, a remake of Point Blank. The plot concerns a guy betrayed and looking for revenge. The other comments go more in depth :) All around, very cool. Well worth a purchase.

Anyone familiar with Chow Yun Fat's movies in Hong Kong before he was "discovered" by Hollywood, will know exactly what they are getting in this movie; 100% raw action and coolness. As with his other Hong Kong movies, this is non-stop action from start till end.

Filmed in Thailand and Hong Kong, this movie takes place both places, oddly enough, huh? However, one thing did puzzle me. Sure I can understand why the Hong Kong Chinese in Thailand would speak Cantonese, but why would the Thai police and store clerks speak Cantonese? That just didn't make sense. That was a bit too stupid.

The story is Gou Fei (played by Chow Yun Fat) who is in Thailand when he is offered a job with other Hong Kong Chinese to do a robbery. However, they are double-crossed and someone ends up dead. Left for dead, Gou Fei is nurtured back to health and returns to Hong Kong for revenge.

"Full Contact" actually have a pretty good list of actors and actresses, and if you are into Hong Kong cinema, then you will definitely agree to that and see some familiar faces. Of course you have the action-icon Chow Yun Fat in the lead role. But you also have Anthony Wong (playing Sam Sei) and Simon Yam (playing Judge).

The action scenes are so well executed and they look really amazing, if not stunning. There wasn't a lot of martial arts in "Full Contact", but then again, Chow Yun Fat's movies are not martial arts fests, but more raw action-styled movies.

Personally I am more of a fan of Chow Yun Fat's Hong Kong movies as contra his Hollywood movies. There is something more brutal, raw and honest about these movies. If you like Asian action movies and/or like Chow Yun Fat, then "Full Contact" is well worth watching. Good entertainment all throughout the movie.

Let's be honest here: if this exact same flick had been made in America, it wouldn't have been given a second look, but it's a Hong Kong production and, inevitably, a hyped-up "cult classic". Go figure. Anyway, the revenge plot is familiar, and the film, lacking the emotional power of "The Killer" (the only other Chow Yun-Fat flick I've seen; both it and he were much better), becomes an empty display of pyrotechnics. And a very long one, too. (*1/2)

Hong Kong action movies do not get any more stylish that this hard-hitting action flick from veteran film director Ringo Lam (MAXIMUM RISK, CITY OF FIRE). In this amazingly proficient import from the East, Chow Yun-Fat gives one of his best performances ever since his portrayal as Jeffrey, in John Woo's THE KILLER (1989).

In FULL CONTACT, Chow is Jeff, a merciless assassin who is involved in a double crossing deal, where he falls under the prey and manipulation of a deranged drug lord, Judge (Simon Yam, in an over the edge performance). Judge has a lust for both drugs and money. Jeff must protect his girlfriend, Mona (Ann Bridgewater), and his other friend, Sam, (Anthony Wong, who appeared in HARD BOILED, THE UNTOLD STORY, THE HEROIC TRIO) from the evil clutches of the ruthless Judge.

It was suppose to be perfect. The weapons heist was set up with precision and deadly accuracy. However, a fatal move has suddenly occurred, thus ruining the entire operation. Jeff is immediately betrayed by his once ally Judge, and in the process, Jeff's friend is systematically eliminated. As the action continues in full throttle, Jeff is shot and left for dead inside a burning house. However, Jeff is resilient...he does not die that easily...

FULL CONTACT (a.k.a. XIA DAO GAO FEI) is one of the finest action films ever to embrace audiences of any and all interests. It tells a compelling story of friendship turning into betrayal, and reprisal growing into a motivation for justice. Director Ringo Lam has done a fine job with one of his best masterpieces, and it is enhanced by better than average performances, particularly from Chow and Wong. Chow has fun as a vigorous hero who turns the tables just when everyone he knew has practically became his nemesis. Anthony Wong has a sympathetic supporting role as an old friend who may very well switch allegiances with a foul enemy. The villains are conniving and appropriately nasty. Simon Yam is excellent as an essentially slimy villain. His cunning attitude, his sick-minded, perverse personality, and tasteless vulgarity make him a repugnant yet compelling bad guy. Bonnie Fu has a debonair appeal. Her beauty is potent enough to ignite an endless array of fireworks. The strong performances establish substantiation in designing the main characters.

The action in FULL CONTACT is of course, at its breathtaking pace with absolute quality, and the film offers a surreal environment that is often rare in "pro forma" American made action movies. There are plenty of chances to cheer on for the good guy but the film has carefully mounted tension which will grip your interests. The "bullet cam" itself has to be seen to be believed.

FULL CONTACT is a rare movie, and I was lucky to stumble across a copy of this film at a local store in New York City's Chinatown. Audiences may have a hard time trying to decipher the incomprehensible English subtitles, but do not bother straining your eyes. The action itself makes this movie worth seeing. FULL CONTACT is one fashionably violent movie in the tradition of film noir.

Ringo Lam is a virtuoso at filmmaking who exhibits exceptional direction, slam bang camerawork, and majestic editing. He also has a proud technique of drawing audiences into the story. This movie continues to keep people amazed due to its technical competence and its poignant elegance. FULL CONTACT serves as a treat for action fans of all varieties, with a tale of romance, seduction, and retribution all weaving into one cinematic accomplishment.

RATING: *** out of ****.

"Full Contact" is one of the best movies that Hong-Kong movies you`ll ever see. It stars excellent actor Chow Yun-Fat(The Killer, Hard Boiled, City On Fire) and is directed by Ringo Lam, who after John Woo is the best Hong-Kong director. Yun-Fat plays Jeff, who is a bouncer at the nightclub where his wife dances.

In order to help his friend Sam, who is heavily in debt to sadistic loan sharks, Jeff joins forces with an extremely sadistic gang-leader named Judge. Jeff, Sam and Judge & co. are going to pull off a heist, but Judge forces Sam to betray Jeff. Sam shoots Jeff and leaves him in a burning house, however, Jeff is not a man who dies easily..... This movie mixes hyper-violent action, cool characters, a story of friendship & betrayal and even sex!! It is definitely worth a closer look for fans and newcomers alike. It fails to get a full 10/10 because it`s just not quite as good as "The Killer"(10/10), "Hard Boiled"(10/10) and "A Better Tomorrow 2"(9/10), but "Full Contact" is at least worth a 9/10.

Shocking action for a mature audience! The first Hong Kong director to give John Woo competition! The movie is high explosive with Chow Yun Fat as the main man. Together with the excellent actors; Anthony Wong and Simon Yam, who manage to steal the show! Behind the scenes there were arguments and tension among the actors that the director on purpose used to improve the actors preformances. You can clearly see that Yam and Fat competes!

This movie is tougher than any american action, I`ve ever seen! Die hard is just a gasp compared to this flick! This thank`s to exceptional directing from Ringo Lam!

This movie is not to be missed by any fan of real action and Hong Kong movies!

From a 2014 point of view Full Contact is outdated. The camera work and the action itself doesn't look unique. There are some interesting camera angles at the end, but it still looks old. Even the bullet shots look outdated. If this movie was released in the US, it would automatically fall in the B-movie category, quite rightfully.

Full Contact has plenty of action, but after seeing lots of action movies, it doesn't stand out from the crowd. The other aspects of the movie didn't add any value, though I found them to be much less significant.

Despite the higher rating of Full Contact, I think his Van Damme projects were better. Well at least it is true for Maximum Risk.

Finally, if you're expecting John Woo's kind of action here, don't. I have recently watched Hard Boiled (for the third time). Having the same release year as Full Contact, it still manages to look very solid (actually it's quite an understatement for Hard Boiled). In fact, all of the better known John Woo movies from Hong Kong are far better. Full Contact is OK for the action, just don't expect it to be what it's not.

I just can't say enough about Full Contact...the film is your typical Hong Kong revenge play, set against a backdrop of low-rent gangsters and seedy relationships. But it's the little things that really set this film apart: Ringo Lam is one of the few HK directors who has a decent grasp on how to use music in his films, not being as obsessed with Canto-pop inanities as his contemporaries; the body count is much lower than the typical bullets-n-bloodshed HK gangster film, thus giving each action scene an edge above other movies that end up reducing the impact of each death by trivializing them; Simon Yam's "viper queen" is a truly...different...kind of villain, one who makes you laugh while you're hoping he dies; the bit characters are better realized...I could go on and on.

In short, Full Contact is a real shock to the action fan's system: it has a visceral quality that so many action movies try for and miss. Ringo Lam's work is not for everybody, but if you're looking for the true edge of HK cinema (keep in mind that movie-goers in Honk Kong didn't like this film, as it was considered TOO dark and nasty by an audience used to this sort of thing, and not a soft, Western audience), here it is. Full Contact is the perfect English title for this brutal trip.

This film is somewhat different from other Hong Kong films, it moves at a more leisurely pace. The pacing lulls you into a sense of peace...then explodes, much like Jeff in the film. There are well played, imaginative shootouts. Lam is one of the best directors from Hong Kong, after the great John Woo. Full Contact is well worth watching by any film enthusiast.

Back in the early 90s, John Woo was the Asian director du jour. Having already wowed audiences with HK action masterpieces such as Hard Boiled and The Killer, he was starting to make waves in Hollywood, getting his first shot at helming a US production with the Jean Claude Van Damme actioner Hard Target. Following closely in his footsteps, however, was Ringo Lam, who, with Full Contact, proved that he was just as capable of delivering the goods.

This hyper-kinetic, bullet riddled action-fest is a superb example of 90s Hong Kong action, perfectly mixing breathtaking visuals with OTT action set-pieces that will leave you gasping. With its great cast, bloody ultra-violence and dark sense of humour, Full Contact is absolutely unmissable.

Chow Yun-fat plays Gou Fei, a criminal who is betrayed by fellow gangster Judge (Simon Yam) and his cronies during a weapons heist. Believed to be dead by Judge, the actually-very-alive-and-rather-annoyed Gou Fei carefully plots his revenge...

Full Contact takes the well-worn avenging angel theme, and loads it with some fantastic comic-book style characters: Gou Fei is the violent criminal that its OK to root for; Yam's nasty villain is a reprehensible foppish queen with psychopathic tendencies; Anthony Wong is Sam Sei, the cowardly slime-ball who makes off with Gou Fei's girl; Ann Bridgewater is the sexy girl torn between two men, neither of whom are really suitable; and Frankie Chin plays musclebound maniac Psycho, machine gun toting boyfriend of the ultra-slutty Lau Ngang (Bonnie Fu).

The story may not be that original, but Lam sure makes it his own with his impressively stylish direction and ability to take everything one step further than others might consider necessary. And if you don't believe me, witness the 'bullet-cam' sequence in the nightclub—delightfully absurd in its conception but totally unforgettable.

I saw this film originally on the Tai Seng VHS tape and believed I was seeing the original. The recent MEI AH re-release video reveals an additional 4 minutes Tai Seng trimmed, and they are pretty strong; it's amazing what a couple of minutes will do for a film.

This is as nasty a crime film as you will ever see. Ringo Lam goes straight for the throat of a contemporary Asia crumbling into a gaudy, violent nihilism. The moral center is held to be a thin hope that maybe the right thing can be done for an innocent girl wounded unnecessarily during a gang fight. Everything else is blood, perversion, and flashy neon.

Sounds like a good reason not to see the film? Not so. This is one of the least exploitative exploitation flicks around - the film doesn't suggest that anyone in it is having fun, even the psychos laughing as buildings blow up, with people in them. In a world where everything is meaningless and anything goes, finding meaning becomes the only reason to live and the only real accomplishment.

Cinematically, this is Ringo Lam in top form, developing a style that is often as flashy and hollow as the culture it portrays, but through which moments of intense realism burst forth, reminding us of the real pain such violence entails. Many films (East and West) have since imitated this style, but without Ringo Lam's sense of moral critique, it can easily become just so much flash and glitter, of the kind Lam is actually criticizing here.

Finally, one must remark the excellent performances by all the actors involved.

A very disturbing, but very excellent - and in an important sense, a very necessary - film.